FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the catalytic ammoxidation of paraffins and olefins containing from two to five carbon atoms to the corresponding alpha, beta unsaturated nitrites. In particular, the present invention is directed to the process of making a catalyst useful in the ammoxidation of propane or propylene to acrylonitrile.
Because of the price differential between propylene and propane, an economic incentive exists for the development of viable catalyst useful for the conversion of propane to acrylonitrile. The development of a propane ammoxidation process to acrylonitrile has been quite elusive. The following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,214,016; 5,008,427; 5,258,543; 4,788,317; 4,746,641; 3,860,534; 3,681,421 and Great Britain Patents 1,336,135 and 1,336,136 are directed to various vanadium antimony type catalysts useful in the ammoxidation of propane to acrylonitrile and teach various methods of making the catalysts. The present invention is directed to a simple procedure for the preparation of vanadium antimony catalyst useful in oxidation and/or ammoxidation reactions such as o-xylene oxidation to phthalic anhydride or propylene and propane ammoxidation to acrylonitrile. In particular, the process of the present invention is directed to the manufacture of a catalyst useful in propane ammoxidation. The beauty of the process of the present invention is that it is a very simple procedure substantially eliminating the exotic materials used in previous procedures as well as eliminating many of the steps set forth in the previous procedures. This, of course, leads to a more economical and commercially viable procedure for the preparation of the catalyst useful in propane and propylene ammoxidation.